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Differences in the occurrence of microplastic at two technically diverse drinking water treatment plants within the same river catchment
Summary
Researchers compared microplastic occurrence in drinking water from two technically different treatment facilities, examining how treatment technology influences the presence and type of microplastics in finished drinking water. The two plants produced water with significantly different microplastic profiles, indicating that treatment technology is a key determinant of microplastic concentrations reaching consumers.
Microplastics (MPs) are one of the most discussed emerging pollutants of aquatic environments. Until now, MPs occurrence has been investigated in seas, oceans and freshwater reservoir. There are also studies investigating the MPs occurrence in drinking water. Although the adverse effects of MPs on human health are still largely unknown, the presence of MPs in drinking water and their removal options deserve more attention, while drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) pose barriers for MPs to enter water for human consumption. In this study, we provided a unique insight into the occurrence of MPs at two different DWTPs situated on the same river (upstream and downstream) but differing in treatment technology. Analysis of MPs ≥ 1 μm, including their quantification and characterization, was conducted in raw and treated water and after each treatment step. It was found that the content of MPs varied between the two monitored DWTPs significantly. While at one DWTP (upstream), there were 23 ± 2 and 14 ± 1 MPs L−1 in raw and treated water, respectively, at the second DWTP (downstream), there were 1296 ± 35 and 151 ± 4 MPs L−1. Most of the detected MPs (¿70 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559536/document